Costumes and Candy: Trick or Treat Trivia

Do you ever wonder why we wear masks and beg for food to celebrate a day for dead people? Then dig in to this quiz about the two main reasons Halloween rocks -- costumes and candy!

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Question 1 of 20

On average, how many kids ages 5 to 14 dress up for Halloween every year?

41 million

Yep, 41 million children don costumes for trick-or-treating. Unfortunately, there are no stats about how many college girls dress up as sexy Little Red Riding Hood. It may top the kids’ number.

53 million

112 million

Question 2 of 20

Which costume jumped from No. 7 to No. 4 on the list of most popular adult Halloween costumes in 2011?

vampire

witch

zombie

In 2011, zombie was the 4th most popular adult costume thanks to hit TV shows like “The Walking Dead.” Zombie made an even greater leap from No. 22 to No. 9 on the favorite children’s costume list.

Question 3 of 20

According to the National Retail Federation, which children’s costume continues to hold the No. 1 spot year after year?

princess

The ladies have it, with princesses being the favorite Halloween costume consistently. Witch is second favorite. Because not everyone feels the princess vibe.

Spiderman

Batman

Question 4 of 20

Now that you know what the humans are wearing to trick-or-treat, what about the pets? Pick the No. 1 pet costume from this list.

hot dog

pumpkin

There’s nothing cuter than a pug in a bee costume, but pumpkins win the top spot paws down. Curiously enough, cat and dog make the list as favorite pet costumes No. 5 and No. 9, respectively.

bee

Question 5 of 20

What were early Celtic Halloween costumes made of?

leaves and mud

tree bark

animal skins

Back when Halloween was a brand new holiday, the Celts typically made their costumes from animal skins. They didn’t dress up to go trick-or-treating, though. Those guys dressed up to confuse wandering spirits and avoid being possessed.

Question 6 of 20

Halloween masks became popular for which reason?

to scare your friends

as a disguise for pranksters

to trick ghosts into thinking you were one of them

Long, dark winter nights used to be very frightening, especially on Halloween. Townspeople believed that ghosts wandered the Earth on this unholy night, so they wore masks when they left the house. That way, a passing spirit would think they were a ghost, too, and leave them alone.

Question 7 of 20

What kind of mask did Jason wear in the “Friday the 13th” film series?

diving mask

catcher’s mask

hockey mask

Jason Vorhees is the killer character featured in many of the “Friday the 13th” movies. He actually didn’t start wearing his well-known hockey mask until “Friday the 13th Part III.”

Question 8 of 20

A cheap mask of this famous person was used to create Michael Myers's mask in the movie “Halloween.”

Richard Nixon

William Shatner

“Halloween” was the low-budget horror hit of 1978 and the prop crew had to get creative with the cheapest mask they could find -- a "Star Trek" William Shatner mask. They spray painted it white, teased the hair and reshaped the eyeholes to create the eerily iconic mask that Michael wore.

George Washington

Question 9 of 20

In “Halloween 3: Season of the Witch” what is the name of the evil mask-making company that plans to kill millions of children on Halloween night?

Silver Shamrock Novelties

Good old Silver Shamrock Novelties is out to get the kiddies with a deadly microchip they place in every mask. It wasn’t the best of the “Halloween” movies, but it made you think twice before buying a jack-o'-lantern mask.

Pumpkin Head Horrors

Myers Mask Company

Question 10 of 20

Which character in “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” got a bag of rocks when they went trick-or-treating?

Charlie Brown

Poor Charlie Brown. First he screws up his ghost costume by cutting too many eye holes and winds up looking like a potato. Then, he goes trick-or-treating and all he comes home with is a bag of rocks. That kid can’t win. Even on Halloween.

Linus

Pig Pen

Question 11 of 20

Approximately how many pieces of candy does a plastic jack-o'-lantern carry?

175

250

According to California Milk Processors Board, a jack-o'-lantern bucket holds around 250 pieces of candy, which can add up to 9,000 calories and 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms) of sugar. Yum.

400

Question 12 of 20

When did the modern version of trick-or-treating for candy become popular?

1820s

1890s

1940s

It wasn’t until the 1940s that today’s spin on begging for candy became cool. And even at that time, candy wasn’t the obvious treat. Kids often found their sacks filled with coins, nuts, fruit and toys.

Question 13 of 20

Why did giving out candy at Halloween take an upturn in the 1970s?

Mary Janes were invented

junk food became popular

parents thought homemade treats were dangerous

In the 1970s, Halloween candy became a more popular treat because parents feared that homemade goodies like popcorn balls or candied apples could be poisoned or include hidden razor blades. We can thank paranoia for our Halloween sweet tooth.

Question 14 of 20

According to the National Confectioner’s Association, what percentage of adults sneak a treat from their Halloween candy bowl?

78 percent

41 percent

A full 41 percent of you grown-ups can’t resist digging in to the Halloween treats before you hand them out to the kids. We can’t blame you. And we can’t understand how the other 59 percent have such restraint.

29 percent

Question 15 of 20

Which candy company first started producing candy corn?

Brach’s

Wunderlee

Wunderlee was the first company to produce candy corn in the 1880s after employee George Renninger invented it. In 1900, Goelitz followed suit and started producing the tri-colored treat. It still manufactures candy corn today, under the name Jelly Belly Candy Company.

Goelitz

Question 16 of 20

When do candy corn lovers celebrate National Candy Corn Day in the U.S.?

Oct. 30

October 30 is National Candy Corn Day but we don’t enjoy the tasty treat just one day a year. The National Confectioner’s Association estimates that 20 million pounds of candy corn are sold annually.

Oct. 31

Nov. 1

Question 17 of 20

What is the most searched for Halloween candy in Google?

candy corn

Umm, clearly it’s going to be candy corn. Didn't we just say it has its own holiday? And no one ever searched for Mary Janes -- one of the least favorite Halloween candies of all time.

Mary Janes

Smarties

Question 18 of 20

What day boasts the highest Halloween candy sales?

Oct. 28

Oct. 28 is the day we all shop for candy. In fact, the top five days for annual candy sales fall in October. Must. Have. Halloween candy.

Oct. 29

Nov. 1

Question 19 of 20

Name the ultra popular Halloween candy that was named after a horse.

Kit Kat

Butterfinger

Snickers

Snickers was the Mars family horse. Unlike horses, kids prefer Snickers over apples on Halloween night.

Question 20 of 20

What percentage of kids say they sort their Halloween candy?

10 percent

30 percent

Thirty percent of kids sort their Halloween candy. And only 16 percent share it. So beware of greedy and overly organized trick-or-treaters this Halloween. They’re scary.